Plan Response to Intervention schedules — organize students, groups, and sessions by tier
Core classroom instruction delivered to all students. Uses evidence-based curriculum and differentiated teaching strategies. About 80% of students meet benchmarks with Tier 1 alone. Screening assessments (3× per year) identify students who need more support.
Small-group instruction (3-6 students) targeting specific skill gaps. Sessions run 20-30 minutes, 3-5 times per week, for 8-12 week cycles. Progress monitored every 2-4 weeks. About 15% of students need Tier 2 support. Students move back to Tier 1 when they reach benchmark.
Individualized or very small group (1-3 students) instruction addressing significant skill deficits. Daily sessions of 30-60 minutes with weekly progress monitoring. About 5% of students require this level. Data from Tier 3 may inform special education referral decisions.
Designate daily "intervention blocks" (30-45 min) where all students receive instruction at their tier level simultaneously. This prevents Tier 2/3 students from missing core instruction — the most common scheduling pitfall.
Groups should change based on data, not convenience. Reassess every 6-8 weeks. A student who improves should move down in tier; one who plateaus may need different grouping or a higher tier.
Build assessment dates into the schedule. Tier 2: every 2-4 weeks. Tier 3: weekly. Use consistent tools (DIBELS, AIMSweb, CBMs) so data is comparable across time points.
Reading specialists, math interventionists, and behavioral support staff should have staggered schedules so multiple groups can run simultaneously without staff conflicts.
Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered framework for identifying and supporting students with learning and behavior needs. It uses three increasingly intensive levels: Tier 1 (whole-class), Tier 2 (small-group targeted), and Tier 3 (intensive individualized). Students move between tiers based on progress monitoring data, ensuring every student gets the right level of support.
Tier 1 is universal instruction for all students (~80% succeed). Tier 2 provides targeted small-group interventions for students not meeting benchmarks (~15%). Tier 3 offers intensive individualized support for students with significant gaps (~5%). Each tier increases in frequency, duration, and specificity of instruction.
Tier 2: 3-5 sessions per week, 20-30 minutes each, for 8-12 week cycles. Tier 3: daily sessions, 30-60 minutes, with weekly progress monitoring. Reassess tier placement every 6-8 weeks based on data.
Map your available intervention time blocks first. Group students by skill level and need. Stagger specialist schedules so multiple groups run simultaneously. Use a protected "intervention block" where all students receive tier-appropriate instruction — this prevents Tier 2/3 students from missing core lessons.
Progress monitoring is systematic assessment of student performance over time to evaluate intervention effectiveness. Tier 2 students are assessed every 2-4 weeks; Tier 3 students weekly. Common tools include DIBELS, AIMSweb, and curriculum-based measurements. Data determines whether students advance, remain, or move to a different tier.